Blow for Dubs as O’Gara gets eight-week ban

DUBLIN’S Eoghan O’Gara has been hit with an eight-week ban following his clash with Kerry’s Marc Ó Sé in last Saturday’s Allianz Football League tie at Croke Park.

O’Gara became embroiled in a shoving match with the Kerry full-back in the final minutes of the tie, which the hosts won by a point. The Dublin attacker was alleged to have head-butted the Kingdom defender, who received a four-week ban for his part in the incident.

The GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee issued their proposed sanctions yesterday and both players can appeal to the Central Hearings Committee (CHC).

If they accept the bans, Ó Sé would be out until March 26 while O’Gara would return on April 24.

GAA disciplinary chiefs have also cleared Danny O’Callaghan to play for Crossmaglen Rangers in their All-Ireland Club SFC final against St Brigid’s on St Patrick’s Day.

Centre back O’Callaghan was sent off in the semi-final win over Kilmacud Crokes for “striking with the knee”. However the CHC reviewed the incident and found it to be a lesser offence of “push(ing) an opponent with the hands”.

The appropriate penalty was a caution, accordingly O’Callaghan should not have been sent off and is available for the showpiece decider.

Meanwhile GAA chiefs rescinded red cards issued to Kilkenny hurler JJ Delaney and Meath footballer Cormac McGuinness last month. Both players took their cases to the CHC where officials found that they each received a yellow card in error, in games against Cork and Sligo respectively. Disciplinary chiefs have asked that both their records should be amended accordingly.

Elsewhere Mayo GAA chiefs have rejected a request to play Dublin on Friday night, March 18, at Croke Park.

Mayo PRO Aiden McLoughlin last night confirmed that the game will go ahead on its scheduled date of March 19. He said: “A request from the Dublin County Board to have the game re-fixed for the Friday evening, with the weekend that was in it, was noted and discussed.

“However due to the possible involvement of the Mayo U21 football team in a Connacht Championship match on Saturday 19, this re-fixture could not be facilitated.”